The Magical Cow

Long ago in a village lived a grandmother, granddaughter, and their cow. The trio were once part of a larger, wealthy family but unfortunately, they lost it all. The grandmother had given up many possessions for food, but she was running out of ideas. She was too old to work and her granddaughter was too young. She realized she would have to give up their beloved cow as it was the only valuable thing they had. She did consider using the cow for food, but she could not imagine doing so as the cow was like a second grandchild.

The grandmother took the cow to a local merchant. The merchant carefully inspected the cow, ensuring she had no defects. He fed the cow some lettuce. While the cow ate, some of her saliva got on the merchant's hands. The merchant had severe burn scars on his palms from childhood. Almost instantly, the cow's saliva cured him of this blemish. Quickly he realized this cow had magical capabilities and the grandmother was unaware of this. Rather than tell her of the cow's abilities, he told her the cow was worthless so he could obtain a lower bargaining price out of her. His plan was to deceive her about the cow's value and then later buy the cow for a cheaper price.

The grandmother felt dejected by this merchant's comments. She contemplated whether she should approach another merchant only to hear the same response. Reminded of her granddaughter, she mustered the courage to ask. She approached a crippled merchant inquiring about the cow.

The grandmother nervously tapped on his shoulder and said, "Dear sir, I hope you may have some change to offer for my darling cow. She may be old, but she is sturdy and in good health. I treasure her but feel guilty keeping her after looking into my starved granddaughter's eyes."

The cow licked the merchant's crippled leg. Instantly, he felt sensations in his leg that he hadn't felt in years. When he looked down, he saw his atrophied leg was now muscular and youthful. He tried walking on it, and to his amazement, was able to walk on it.

"My god! Since birth I have been unable to feel anything or walk with this leg. Your cow is a healer with magical powers! Of course I will take her, but only if you insist...? I am not a mere merchant, but the king's brother. I feel cooped up in the headquarters which is why I travel from village to village, interacting with people. I can take this cow with me and heal as many people as I can. I of course will compensate you, much more than some spare change."

The grandmother was ecstatic. She no longer felt guilty for selling the cow for money. She knew the cow would do more good healing others in various places than in her home. She agreed to the merchant's offer and was off.

The first merchant approached her again while she was walking home. She proudly informed him she already sold the cow and of its powers. He acted surprised but internally felt a surge of burning regret for acting on his greed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I based this story on The Merchant of Seri. My story was pretty similar to the original in terms of characters (the grandmother, granddaughter, and two merchants) with a pretty similar plot. The main difference is the original uses a golden bowl while my retelling uses a cow. The original is based on the idea the grandmother did not know the bowl's price which is how she almost got gypped. I felt that being wealthy at one point, she would have been aware of what gold is and its price. I picked a cow partly as a tribute to Indian culture but also selling the cow for a larger collective good makes for a better "feel-good" story. I liked the overall message of greed and karma so wanted to keep that message.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Title: The Merchant of Seri

Author: Ellen C. Babbitt